Galileo Galilei

(1564-1642)

(Telescopes and Astronomers)

Preview :

Travel fate of Galileo at the time it depends on the result of court decisions that take place in the courtroom of the Vatican, a special area in the city of Rome. Session chaired by Pope Urban VIII, the leader of the Catholic Church, on June 22, 1633, will decide the sentences handed down to a scientist aged sixty-nine-year-old named Galileo Galilei. If only at that time people have become aware that a prisoner on trial once it was a great astronomer who laid the foundation for modern physics views about the solar system, may not be a life sentence to be decided.

The decision was taken because of Galileo is considered to bring an evil cult that is considered dangerous for the Catholic Church. Although the bishops were personally familiar with Galileo was a devout Catholic and not at all adherents of the teachings of the reform. Astronomer, philosopher and physicist believes that Italy was not the Earth, but the sun is the center of the solar system. Keyakinannnya matching with what is expressed by Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer, in a book entitled "Revolution Soccer Ball-Sky". In the book, Copernicus declared that the Earth is a planet orbiting around the Sun.

This view was contrary to what was officially accepted by the Catholic Church, so anyone followers of heresy that must be put to death. Executions carried out by the Inquisition, which held a special agency to deal with false teachings at that time. Thirty years before the verdict on Galileo, the Inquisition agency has imposed the death penalty on Giardano Bruno, a philosopher who is also regarded as heresy.

Triggers of punishment it is a book written by Galileo entitled "Dialogue Between the Two Major Systems Concerning the Universe." The book was actually the request of Pope Urban VIII, nine years before the trial, which asked Galileo to write a scientific paper about Galileo's views about the universe. Originally the request is actually the scenario of the Catholic Church for scientists who want to be respected in the party opposed the Copernican theory. But what happened exactly contrary to what is desired. For what happened to it, which at the time Galileo was ordered Florence to Rome, even in sickness.

Century Europe was controlled by two major forces. Roman Catholic Church led by Pope and the philosophers that most of the Greek philosophers to adopt the view of two thousand years earlier. Members of the Catholic Church is tied to the teachings of Aristotle, especially in the understanding of the solar system, which happens to resemble with quote contained in the Bible about the creation of the heavens and the earth.

Galileo is known as the father of astronomy, physics, and modern science. His work includes the completion teleksop, astronomical observation, and first and second laws of motion in classical mechanics. Although the telescope was not his invention, but the Galileo design up to 32x magnification of the telescope, known at the time.With his telescope, he discovered four satellites of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymeda), sunspots, and form the surface of the moon. He is also known as a supporter of Copernicus.

Galileo Galilei was born as the eldest of the couple Vincenzo and Giulia, on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. His father was a mathematician and musician who is famous in Italy as a pioneer of reforms in the fields of music, and was the first to apply mathematics in pengkajiannya. In addition to the field of music, Vincenzo also gives influence on Galileo, in particular his view that anti-authoritarian.

Galileo childhood teachers learn more in private. Her father did not really believe that there is a general educational institution at the time. But finally in 1581, when Galileo was seventeen, he enrolled at the University of Pisa, majoring in medicine. Galileo's interest in mathematics has been seen since the first semester at the university.Galileo was interested in mathematics, particularly about the geometry Euklid, which Amnestied by mathematicians Ostillo Ricci. Until the end of the semester was also Galileo moved majoring in mathematics.

The first scientific discoveries of Galileo, on a Sunday in 1583, was inspired when, following a Mass at a church. His attention fixed on a swinging chandelier.Immediately after the Mass is finished, Galileo returned to the university laboratory to conduct experiments pendulum swing. Galileo discovered the pendulum or pendulum motion, and formulate a simple law, that regardless of the length of the pendulum swing, the time needed to complete the swing is the same. Later the scientists now call it the periodic pendulum swings. Furthermore, Galileo apply the principle of the pendulum swing to make a precise hour. At that time, measuring the time used is glass sand.

Galileo left the university in 1585 without a degree, after studying for four years.Actually, it has been unusual, because in Italy at that time, because of academic ability is more valued than a degree.

The first book written by Galileo entitled "Il bilancetta", which contains descriptions of Galileo's experiments during childhood in Tuscany until the period of study at the University of Pisa. What's interesting about the book was Galileo's call about how to improve the ideas of the great Greek philosopher Archimedes.

Galileo meeting with the Marquis Guidobaldo del Monte, a nobleman who pay attention to the field of engineering, science, and philosophy, influence the subsequent fate of Galileo. In 1589, Galileo started his first career as a mathematics lecturer at the University of Pisa, on the recommendation of the Marquis. Since that time Galileo began to show anti-Aristotelesnya views and bring the enemy.

The second book entitled "De Motu" contains the idea of motion and Galileo's falling body. Although not a pure idea of Galileo, but the presence of the book could lead to conflict. Once again it was due to differ with the views of Aristotle, which states that objects with different weight fall at a rate different.

To prove that the views of Aristotle, Galileo did experiments that are quite popular at the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in 1591. Experiments conducted in the form of dropping two cannon shot from a height of 54 meters with the help of his assistant. It seems, that the only force that can affect the speed of fall it is air resistance. Later, fifty years after Galileo died, an Irish scientist Robert Boyle, doing experiments that reinforce the theory of Galileo.

After completing his contract to teach at the University of Pisa, Galileo melanjutnya taught at the University of Padua. In this city of Padua, Galileo was friends with various backgrounds, including nobles Gianvencenzo Pinelli. Pinelli's friendship with pave the way for Galileo to join the Circle Pinelli, an influential association sponsored by the nobility.

Finance Galileo who had collapsed because of debt inherited her father, slowly began to improve and dead buying a home in Padua. The period of eighteen years at Padua, was the happiest time for a variety of important findings that he produces. The findings included experiments on the incline, the measurement of time, acceleration and projectile motion cannon.

Gelileo indeed not the inventor of the telescope. But Galileo has an important role in perfecting the telescope. Beginning of interest in Galileo on the telescope when there is casual conversation with his friend Paolo Sarpi, in 1609 in Venice. Sarpi told about a device that can enlarge the object being viewed. The device, called a telescope, made by a Dutch spectacle maker named Hans Lipperhey. But Hans is not known whether it was the inventor of the telescope.

Upon his return to Padua, Galileo began to design his own telescope according to its version. At that time various telescope models have emerged with a very diverse, but with comparatively low quality. Galileo developed the telescope has a magnification better with a clearer image.

In August 1609, the assistance of Sarpi, Galileo met with a Venetian Doge to demonstrates the telescope design. The result of that meeting produced a lucrative offer to Galileo to make a telescope with a variety of benefits promised. But after they found out the offer is not in accordance with reality, then the next Galileo demonstrated his telescope to the ruler of Florence, Prince Cosimo. Because the view that there is talent on Galileo, the Prince Cosimo provide an offer in the form of office research staff positions in the field of mathematics.

With the telescope that Galileo did a lot of research, for example look at the surface of the Moon, which turned out to be mountains and steep ravine. In 1610, Galileo observed the planet Venus and the sun. Various explanations of physical phenomena associated with Galileo's astronomy can be explained with more sense. One of the satellites of Jupiter, Galileo named Cosimo, as a form of homage to the Pengeran Cosimo II.

All the results of astronomical research, in 1610, then he poured in a book called "Messengers of the Stars". One year later, Galileo's telescope was performed in Rome and continued with a variety of seminars to discuss the results of Galileo's research. At that moment came a variety of opposition to the theory of Galileo as a scientist from the German Jesuit, Christoph Scheiner, Thomas Caccini, and Orazio Grassi. This contradiction Galileo opponent with his book entitled "Proof", which uses the Copernican theory to explain the comet's trajectory. But what happened then is pertentang more crowded, to involve Pope Urban VIII from the Catholic Church. To defuse opposition that Pope Urban VIII ordered Galileo to write a book that in the end it makes Galileo as a prisoner in her own home until his death.

During that detention, Galileo was secretly published his book which is now regarded as the greatest works of science, titled "Two New Sciences", in the year 1638. In general there are two important parts in the book, which is about moving objects and the forces that affect these objects. The second part talks about the properties of substances and how different substances can be melted and arranged in various different forms. This book really sparked a revolution that will be in the future open the way for other scientists to develop it, as did the genius of Sir Isaac Newton.

End hanyat Galileo on through the various malapetakan. He was exposed to eye infection that gradually lead to blindness. Galileo To further aided by several assistants to continue their scientific activities. At the height of winter, January 8, 1642, Galileo Galilei finally breathed his last in Arcetri accompanied by Vincenzo Viviani, one of his pupils.

In many ways, Galileo was the first physicist who solve problems through experimentation. Approach it that way really new at that time. Conflict and conservatism of the Catholic Church elements that befell Galileo became a valuable lesson for all parties to not blindly in interpreting the religious message. In the end the Catholic Church wake up and the subsequent development it fosters many scientists.At least thanks to the Dark Ages Galileo vanished quickly and progress for the progress continues to grow and spread throughout the world.